


Shoulder Touches

by idareu2bme



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Bisexual Cisco Ramon, Canon Compliant, Cisco Ramon Needs A Hug, Feelings Realization, M/M, Pre-Slash, Season/Series 04, nothing really spoilery, sexually frustrated Cisco Ramon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18408551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idareu2bme/pseuds/idareu2bme
Summary: Harry touches Cisco's shoulder a lot.This fic is 95% Cisco internally freaking out and 5% actual interaction with Harry.





	Shoulder Touches

**Author's Note:**

> unbetaed

If Cisco had a dollar for each time Harry touched his shoulder, patted his shoulder, squeezed his shoulder, or _grabbed his shoulder while leaning in to look into his eyes meaningfully_... well, Cisco would still be sexually frustrated, but, financially, he'd be doing great.

 

Okay, perhaps ‘ _sexually frustrated’_ was the wrong phrase to use in this situation. _That_ wasn’t Harry’s fault. Cisco had spent the majority of his adulthood perpetually frustrated in the sex department and it mostly had very little to do with Harry. Even his recent relationship with Cynthia hadn’t been enough to assuage his sexual frustration --of course, if they had actually seen each other more than once a month, that might have sorted itself out.

 

Anyway, whatever, _fine_ , it wasn’t Harry’s fault that Cisco was all pent up and feeling forever alone, but the shoulder touching was definitely a thing that was happening a lot. And, while Cisco wasn’t spending extra energy wishing Harry into his bed, the shoulder touching, innocuous as it might seem, definitely was a thing with the ability to ramp up Cisco’s pulse.

 

He was well aware of the tension between them. He wasn’t an idiot, okay? And he didn’t have a thing for shoulder touching (was that even a thing people had _a thing_ for?) It was just that every time Harry touched his shoulder, Cisco was left a touch breathless and wishing for more.

 

To be completely honest, he wasn’t even cognitively aware of what he hoped that ‘ _more_ ’ might entail. He just had this craving for some abstract form of closeness every time he had even the smallest taste from Harry. And lately, there were a lot of small tastes. There was the aforementioned shoulder thing which had all sorts of levels, but there was also a whole smorgasbord of other painfully platonic touches. Not that there was anything wrong with _platonic_ touches and closeness. Cisco would call himself a tactile guy and he definitely appreciated the platonic closeness of his found family -- but Harry was different, Harry was special.

 

It seemed that no matter the version of Harrison Wells, Cisco was destined to have some sort of special connection with him, but his relationship with Earth-2 Harry blew all others out of the water.

Cisco couldn’t think of a time he’d ever had any sort of relationship, platonic or romantic, with anyone that resembled what was growing between Harry and him. The confusing part was that Cisco’s attraction to Harry hadn’t been immediate like it had been with every woman he’d ever dated. Cisco wasn’t sure if he wanted anything beyond platonic with Harry. He was just painfully aware of that tension between them that, when added to the depth of their friendship and Cisco’s growing desire for closeness with Harry, well, it was just… it was all a little bit confusing. Plus, there was that pesky sexual frustration thing always niggling in the background.

 

Did Cisco love Harry? Irrefutably. Did Cisco know what that meant? Not so much.

 

What did it mean that they constantly bickered over things? What did it mean that Harry’s thoughtful scowl set Cisco’s heart racing? What did it mean that he immediately sought out Harry when he entered a room? Why did Harry’s approval matter to him more than anyone one else’s? Alternatively, why did Harry’s eyes always drift to Cisco’s first when he did anything good as if he were seeking Cisco’s approval first and foremost? Why was Harry’s safety suddenly Cisco’s primary concern in desperate situations? Why did Harry’s hand find Cisco’s shoulder so readily and so often? And why did it stand out to Cisco as anything beyond a neutral touch from reluctant friend turned family?

 

Cisco was on edge over it.

 

Harry would walk past and pat a heavy hand on his shoulder and, though Cisco wouldn’t visibly react, part of him would be magnetized and follow after him in spirit. Harry would approach him and place a lingering hand on his shoulder, thumb finding his collar bone like it needed to press on that ridge, like it belonged there, and Cisco would lose his breath for a millisecond. Harry would place both hands on either of Cisco’s shoulders while Cisco spiraled into some sort of rant and it would have Cisco stopping short, eyes flicking up to Harry’s face, mind and emotions immediately quieting.    
  
It all meant something. Cisco was at odds with himself over what he wanted to do about it. What he did know was that he was constantly craving more from Harry and it was getting a bit crazy.

 

So, the next time Harry put his hand on Cisco’s shoulder, without even thinking, Cisco’s hand shot out, grabbing hold of Harry’s wrist.

 

“Ramon?” questioned Harry in that gravelly voice of his.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” stuttered Cisco, immediately dropping Harry’s wrist in embarrassment. “I, uh…”

 

Harry wasn’t privy to the tumultuous thoughts that constantly clouded Cisco’s mind lately. He wasn’t aware of Cisco’s inner turmoil over his relationship with Harry and what his feelings toward him actually meant. Cisco’s reaction was completely out of the blue and out of context to him. Cisco chewed his lip and stared at Harry’s lean chest, not willing to lift his eyes to his in that moment.

 

“Do... do you not want me to touch you?” asked Harry all earnest and surprising enough that Cisco glanced up at him despite himself. The worry etched into his forehead and the way his mouth was pulled down at the sides had Cisco quick to answer.

 

“No!” he exclaimed. “Er, no, I…”

 

Cisco tapped his clenched fist against his chin and silently berated himself. Usually he had so many words (and was definitely _not_ known for being _afraid_ to say _any_ of them), but right then he couldn’t think of a thing to say.

 

Cisco let out a sigh, frustrated with himself, and simply reached for Harry’s wrist again. He pulled Harry’s arm across his shoulders. Harry let him, a confused but openly curious expression on his face like he would probably have let him do anything just to see what he’d do. Cisco let out a huff. The furrow of Harry’s brow smoothed and a small smile tugged at his mouth. Harry stepped closer and bodily pulled Cisco into a tight hug using the arm Cisco had draped across his own shoulders. His other arm wrapped low around Cisco’s waist.  Cisco let out a breath and leaned into him, reaching up to wrap his own arms around Harry’s shoulders.

 

“If you needed a hug, you could have just asked,” murmured Harry after a few beats of silence.

 

The hug was wonderful, but Harry’s words, though sweet and spoken lowly, still held the lilt of innocence that meant they came from a place of platonic flippancy. Maybe if Cisco was a touch more bold, Harry’s reaction could help him figure out what his pressing desire for closeness might mean for them. He and Harry were always a good team when it came to solving things.  

 

“If I asked for a hug every time I wanted one from you, I'd come off as hella needy,” whispered Cisco.

 

The resulting rumble of laughter from Harry was a low bass against Cisco's chest. It had Cisco's stomach swooping and his heart speeding up in a decidedly not platonic way. He guessed that solved that question. With a small sigh, Cisco tightened his arms around Harry’s shoulders before reluctantly letting go. He took a small step back and smiled awkwardly up at Harry.

 

“More hugs, less shoulder squeezes?” asked Harry, his smile warm even if he looked uncomfortable. The question meant he obviously understood there was more to the awkward interaction and wanted to know what that was, but he wasn't going to press.

 

“Naw,” said Cisco. “The shoulder squeezes are great. Keep the shoulder squeezes. But… I’m petitioning to add more hugs to the… uh... roster. You know, for use outside of just life and death situations.”

 

“Hmm,” hummed Harry, his smile turning from warm-but-uncomfortable into delighted. Cisco’s breath caught. Harry’s eyes sparkled as he leaned in and whispered, “I’ll take it under advisement.” 

  
Harry winked at him - _winked_ at him! Who did he think he was?-  before turning to get back to what he had been doing before Cisco had made a scene over the whole shoulder touch thing. Cisco cleared his throat, his heart hammering in his chest, butterflies fluttering in his belly.

 

“You do that,” he called after him as sassily as he could muster. He wasn’t sure if this was going to amount to him getting what he needed or if he had just sealed his fate in a new game of sexual frustration, but, platonic or romantic, Cisco was ready for this next round of shoulder touches.


End file.
